Quebec Communist State

Jean-Louis Gagnon

Soviet spy, Jean-Louis Gagnon, presents his own short biography to a journalist in 1956

English translation by Kathleen Moore.

French original below.Original français ci-dessous.

Jean-Louis Gagnon

In his offices at CKAC, Jean-Louis Gagnon received me… liberally. Here is a man — this is a case to say it — who is very liberal for his time. He is, however, very busy. In between four phone calls and three interruptions for visitors in a hurry, he manages nonetheless to hand me a few biographical notes:

Born in Quebec in 1914, Jean-Louis Gagnon pursued his classical studies with the Jesuit Fathers. Following his Bachelor of Arts, we have always seen him in active journalism. These last 15 years, this journalist has acquired a decent career reputation, especially as a radio journalist. In well-born souls, value does not wait for the years to pass, thus we find Jean-Louis Gagnon Editor-in-Chief of a Quebec newspaper, L’Evénement-Journal, at the age of 26. We are in 1940. In 1942, he is named news commentator at Radio-Canada in Ottawa; where he is also parliamentary correspondent for the ‘Sun’ at the same time. In 1944, he becomes manager of information for the newspaper ‘Le Canada’ and Montreal correspondent for ‘Time Magazine’.

In May of the same year, he is named Canadian correspondent for France-Presse news agency. It is he who will “cover” the historic Quebec Conference (where Churchill was to meet Roosevelt) and, later, the San Francisco Conference of 1944. In April, 1945, he becomess Editor-in-chief, in Washington, of the same agency. In 1946, we find him managing advertising for ‘Brazilian Traction‘ with offices in Rio de Janeiro. In 1949, Jean-Louis Gagnon travels across France then, upon his return to the country, he becomes commentator at station CKAC, where he currently still is. Meanwhile, Jean-Louis Gagnon has married and now resides in the west of the city (Montreal), on Sherbrooke Street.

Jean-Louis Gagnon is one of those journalists who knew how to find the time to write, outside of his professional activities. He published Vents du large (Winds of the open sea) in 1943, and famous new La fin des haricots (The end of beans), in the first issue of Ecrits du Canada français (Writings of French Canada) in 1955. This is not all. He has in his files a draft novel: La hauteur des étoiles (The height of the stars) and a major essay: L’Intellectuel et l’Argent (Money and the intellectual).

His favourite authors? Bernanos, Sartre, Evelyn Waugh and Faulkner. Here, in Canada, it prefers the poets to the novelists. He likes Ann Hébert and Alain Grandbois a great deal. From the cultural point of view, Jean-Louis Gagnon finds that there is progress. ‘The intellectual is affirming himself more than in the past’, he says to me. ‘He is more free than he was 20 years ago, but unfortunately he is not more integrated into society in French Canada. The English-speaking intellectual is more integrated into all social echelons: political and economic echelons, for instance. The English-speaking academics make policy. Amongst many others, they gave us Pearson. Find me an example of the kind with us? The academics and the intellectuals must, in my view, cease their political absenteeism. Politics had need of them to establish the ministry of Fine arts and the cultural policy we need, and also to push governments to make education accessible to all.’

The hobbies of Jean-Louis Gagnon? His collection of pain­tings.

And politics, Mr. Gagnon? My interlocutor immediately protests vehemently: ‘Sir, politics for me is neither a pastime, nor a sport. For me, it has the same value as literature…’

Robert Rumilly:
Two important authors on the communist infiltration of Canada are Alan Stang and Robert Rumilly. Please read my exclusive English translation of two chapters from Rumilly's 1956 book The Leftist Infiltration in French Canada (L'Infiltration gauchiste au Canada français).

ANTICOMMUNIST ARCHIVE & STORIES:

EXCLUSIVE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
of the 1972 manifesto of the Parti Québécois, calling for a Communist State of Quebec
Segments translated so far:

UPDATE 15 August 2016: 100% complete! First English translation of 1972 PQ manifesto for a Communist State of Quebec. This is what we were really "voting" for in 1980 and 1995. There is more text in the PDF download than is posted online in html: https://www.sendspace.com/file/pgg7mg

Communist Straight Jacket Over Canada: Quand nous serons vraiment chez nous: 1972 manifesto of the Parti Québécois for a Communist state of Quebec